"Well it's about time you're here!" Reese grinned at me as Michael and I walked over to stand with them in front of the ticket booth. "Took you long enough! I thought you would have been here an hour ago."
"We would have," I shrugged, fiddling with the waistband of my high-waisted shorts. "But I kinda took a nap. I didn't sleep at all last night."
That much was true, I really didn't sleep at all and that must have had some effect on me.
"How was your date with Dylan?"
"Date?" Michael looked over at me, shock clear on his face.
I was quick to degrade the term. "He's just-"
"Alana!" I was cut off by a loud giggle. I turned around, only to be nearly knocked over by three incredibly tall boys.
"Ash! Luke! Cal!" I laughed, hugging them all back, relieved to have avoided Michael's question. I could feel Michael's eyes on my back and I couldn't bring myself to face him.
"Did Michael tell why you we're here?" Ashton asked, looking down at me as he ran his long fingers through his curls.
"Yup." I nodded. "So you're house sitting and watching your cousin?"
"That's the plan!" Ash grinned proudly, like he'd been tasked with guarding the president.
"Poor kid."
"Ye-hey wait!" Ashton pouted. "Why would you say that?"
"Oh, come on, Ash!" I giggled. "You four are terrible! You'll drive the poor kid insane!"
"We-I am not terrible! You can ask the kid yourself!" Ashton looked around, and yelled at a kid who was paying for deep fried Oreos. "Hey, Jim Bob! Am I terrible babysitter?"
The kid, he looked around twelve or thirteen, bearing the same messy blonde hair as Ashton but his eyes were brown instead of hazel and he didn't have dimples. "That's not my name, you aren't my babysitter, I don't need one, but you are terrible!"
"Hey!" Ashton said, taking off after his cousin who started to run down the boardwalk. "I paid for those Oreos and this is how you repay me?"
"Jim Bob?" I laughed, turning to Calum and Luke.
"Yeah, his name's actually James, though." Calum enlightened me. "I guess one of the last times Ashton saw him, that Disney show, Wizards of Waverly Place? Yeah, that was on TV at the time and Ash connected James and that Justin guy's Jim Bob Sherwood toy and has been calling him that ever since."
"It's truly a lovely story." Luke added, pleased with himself for making a sarcastic comment.
"So it is." I laughed as I purchased an all-day wristband at the ticket booth. I waited, watching as Ashton came back towards us with James in a tow and got in line behind the others to get their wrist band. And as I began to look away, I noticed three things:
1. Reese and Luke were totally flirting (no surprises, Reese was a natural born flirt)
2. Kay and Cal were excitedly talking about what prizes they wanted to win at the games
3. Michael was still staring at me. Not making funny faces, not doing anything. His face was completely emotionless but his gaze was so intense it was as if he could see everything that went on in my head. I shivered and turned away.
"So what are we gonna do?" Cal asked, as we all gathered around in a circle
That was the wrong question to ask.
At once, nearly everybody started talking. Except me. And Michael.
I kept my head down and tried to listen to everyone, fiddling with the wristband to avoid looking at Michael. From what I could pick out, Kayla wanted to play games and Cal did too. Reese and Luke wanted to go check out the bridge the train ran over, and Ashton was trying to tell James that no one wanted to go to the arcade. I was only a little surprised Michael didn't take James's side, being the gamer he was.
